TrueVisions Group Co., Ltd. is a provider of cable and satellite television services in Thailand. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of True Corporation. Prior to February 2007, the company was known by various other names, including United Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), United Television Cable Network (UTV) and the International Broadcasting Corporation (IBC).
History International Broadcasting Corporation (19891998)
In 1983, American communications company Clearview International announced a proposal to launch a nationwide satellite television project in Thailand, having introduced a similar television service in Tonga earlier that year. Clearview partnered with Thaksin Sinawatra, the then-chairman of Shinawatra Computers, to establish the International Broadcasting Coropration (IBC) on April 17, 1989. The IBC was Thailand's first national television provider.
The Mass Communication Organization of Thailand, Thailand's state-owned public broadcaster, granted a cable TV license to IBC in 1989, along with IBC's main rival, Thai Cablevision (UTV). That year, IBC began broadcasting its programs via super high frequency microwaves using a multichannel multipoint distribution service. Initially, the IBC's broadcasts were limited to Bangkok and other major cities in Thailand.Banerjee I. and Logan S. Asian Communication Handbook 2008 AMIC
In 1995, after receiving approval for a coverage area expansion, the IBC began its first direct-to-home television service.Atkins W. The Politics of Southeast Asia's New Media Routledge Ayutthaya C. A Content Regulatory Framework of Thai Pay-TV Under Convergence Social Science Research Network. December 23, 2011 In 1997, the South AfricanDutch company MIH Limited purchased a 16% stake in the IBC.Lewis G. Virtual Thailand: The Media and Cultural Politics in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore Routledge The IBC obtained most of its programming content from international channels, including HBO, CNN and ESPN.
UTV Cable Network (19931998)
UTV Cable Network was founded on October 2, 1992, to provide cable television services in Thailand under the aegis of TelecomAsia. In September 1995, UTV began providing television service in the Bangkok metropolitan area on a hybrid fibre-optic network. It also provided pay-per-view services. By 1997, UTV's cable network reached about 800,000 homes.Thailand Finally gets "Real" Cable Variety November 27, 1995. Accessed January 17, 2017. In 1997, UTV sold its cable infrastructure to its sister company, Asia Multimedia Company Limited. This allowed UTV to focus on content and service delivery to its subscribers.
Merger with United Broadcasting Corporation (1998–2006) Following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, IBC merged with UTV in February 1998 in order to decrease operational costs and reduce staff overhead. The result of the merger was the United Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), which officially began operations on July 1, 1998. The UBC faced criticism due to its status as a monopoly in the cable TV industry, and later split into two companies: UBC PCL. which provided satellite television services, and UBC Cable Co., Ltd. which provided cable television services.
In 1998, the Shin Corporation (formerly Shinawatra Computer Co., Ltd.) sold its entire stake in UBC to TelecomAsia.
UBC-True (20062007) In November 2005, True Corporation bought a 30.59% stake in UBC from MIH Holdings. The company launched an offer for 221 million outstanding shares at a sale price of 26.5 baht per share, and subsequently delisted UBC from the Thai stock exchange.Thailand: True Corp set to take over UBC UCLA International. Accessed September 16, 2016. In April 2006, UBC rebranded to "UBC-True".True Corp has eye on free TV Nation Multimedia. Accessed September 16, 2016.
On April 2, 2006, UBC-True announced the launch of a series of documentary channels (Explore 1, Explore 2, and Explore 3). In the following months, UBC-True expanded its entertainment offerings with two promotional channels, G-Square and UBC Preview, followed by two music channels, Majung TV and True Music.
TrueVisions (2007present) On January 24, 2007, UBC-True was re-branded as "TrueVisions UBC". The following day, Truevisions UBC announced its successful purchase of exclusive broadcasting rights to the Premier League in Thailand.True Visions Scores Licence for Football Nation Multimedia Accessed September 17, 2016.
On July 12, 2012, as part of its efforts to combat copyright infringement, TrueVisions switched its content encryption system to VideoGuard and upgraded its video encryption from MPEG-2 to the newer MPEG-4 standard. The switch was implemented in the company's new line of high-definition set-top boxes, launched in October 2011.Cracking the Code Nation Multimedia.
In 2012, TrueVisions lost its bid for the Premier League broadcast rights to Cable Thai. The company reacquired the league's broadcast rights in 2016, signing a sub-licensing agreement with Qatar-based sports network beIN Sports.TrueVisions to show Premier League games in Thailand Soccerex Accessed January 17, 2017. TrueVisions has since acquired the Premier League's broadcasting rights in Thailand from 2019 through 2022.
Subscribers At the end of the 2008 financial year, TrueVisions had a total of 799,837 paid subscribers, with an additional 669,000 subscribers on the company's free-to-air Free View package. The table below charts the annual growth of TrueVisions' paid subscriber base:TrueVisions subscriber growth True Visions television. YearSubscribers1998301,3091999324,5372000380,9562001406,5892002437,8452003434,8152004457,5422005483,8162006558,8602007618,2282008799,837
Products
Personal Video Recording In July 2008, TrueVisions launched a personal video recording (PVR) system. Sold separately with an extra monthly fee, the PVR set-top box included a 140 GB hard drive for recording personal videos.
High-definition channels In November 2007, TrueVisions started testing high definition (HD) television broadcasts, and began developing a HD set-top box. The system was demonstrated at the Bangkok ICT Expo.TrueVisions rolls out HD TV in Phuket True corp. Accessed September 16, 2016 In 2010, TrueVisions began offering high-definition broadcasts of three HD channels, including HBO, to customers with premium subscriptions. The following year, this lineup was expanded to eight channels, and coincided with the launch of a new HD and PVR set-top box. TrueVisions also began a planned extension of its fibre optic cable networks to some provincial areas.TrueVisions in major expansion of HD services Nation Multimedia. Accessed September 16, 2016 On July 16, 2012, TrueVisions further expanded their high-definition offerings to seventeen channels, and made all channels available to satellite and cable subscribers.TrueVisions to increase number of HD channels to 17 on July 16 Nation Multimedia. Accessed September 16, 2016 By September 2016, TrueVisions expanded its high-definition lineup to 56 channels.
HD set-top box In October 2011, TrueVisions launched an all-in-one high-definition set-top box called "HD Plus", following the launch of its high-definition television service. The HD Plus was manufactured by Samsung and Humax, and used an external eSATA hard drive for digital video recording. On September 22, 2014, the extra monthly fee for PVR service was removed for customers with premium packages.True Visions products True Visions corpTrueVisions allows Platinum, Gold subscribers to use free recording service National Multimedia news.
3D broadcasts In 2008, TrueVisions began testing 3D television broadcasts, showing a series of short European-made vignettes filmed using the Pulfrich effect. In 2009, segments of the Thai reality TV show Academy Fantasia were broadcast live using the Pulfrich effect.TrueVisions Presents Top Reality Show "True Academy Fantasia 6" Airing in a New Timeslot for Families to Enjoy, Plus 3D Experience for the First Time in Thailand True corp. Accessed April 9, 2017 Since 2013, TrueVisions' True Film HD channel has aired selected movies in a side-by-side 3D format.The 3D experience in your living room Nation Multimedia. Accessed April 9, 2017.
4K UHD On May 18, 2018, TrueVisions announced it would broadcast several live matches from the 2018 FIFA World Cup in ultra high-definition on a new dedicated 4K UHD channel.
See also
Media of Thailand
References
External links